Hinge for overhead doors



Oct. 11, 1949. H. B CLARK ,48

amen FOR OVERHEAD no'ons Filed Och-6; 1944.

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4 IN V EEN TOR. BY; D %f ATTORNEX Patented Oct. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES TPATEN T OFFlflE HINGE roe DVERHEAD noon's Hairy-B. Clark; Elizabeth, N. J. Applicationfitober 6, 1944, Serial No. 557,394

This invention relates particularly to hinges especially designed for connecting the panel sections Of doors of the so-called overhead type,

such as shown in my'Pate-nt No. 226-2351.

Overhead doors usually-includes. plurality .of 1

panel sections hingedIy-connected at their edges on horizontal axes so that the panel sections may be arranged in a common plane in a door opening for closing the door and may'pivotally relatively move to permit raising of the panel sections and movement thereof f-rem the vertical plane into a horizontal .plane overhead for opening the door, the panel sections being mounted-on'rollers runhing in tracks.

Such panel sections are ordinarily connected together by hinges "that include leaves or plate portions secured by bolts to said sections and having aligned eyes or knuckle portions forming a. continuous bearing tor a pintle. This necessitates proper alignment of the bearing portions which is difficult and needs skill in assembling. Insertion or removal of the pintle in the aligned bearing portions is "also difiiciilt and the bolts loosen and damage the panel .sections under strains 'incident to operation of the hinge, i n

One object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved stronghingewl'iich rshall comprise compiemental parts so constructed that they ican be easily mounted on door sections and assembled by an unskilled person without-the use of bolts that penetrate the door sections, and when said parts are so applied the points of fastening of the hinge parts to the doorrshall "be so related to the axis of hinging as to ,reduoe bending strains on the hinge parts to the minimum.

A further object is to eliminate-the necessityior a pintle in hinges of this kind.

Still another object is to providea hinge structure in which the hinge leaves-fare easilynested together and easily separated.

A still further object is to provide a hinge of this :kind with means for supporting and :clampingbars for reinforcingrthe panel sections.

Yet another object is to provide a hinge of this kind that is simple and rugged in construction and. inexpensive to manufacture.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of a portion of an overhead door showing adjacent panel sections provided with a. hinge embodying my invention.

Elli) 2v Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of Figure #1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a pair of blanks from which the hinge sections are formed.

Figure 4 is a detail view showing the upper hingesection.

Figure 5 is a similar view of "the lower hinge section.

In the drawing I have shown two adjacent panel sections Aof an overhead d'oor, the sections preferably being form'edof wood and having horizon tal rails I0 connected by mullions d l The panel sections are preferably "connected together vby my improved hinge at their centers; The hinge comprises an *npper hinge "section 12 and a lower hinge section f3, both sections'be'ing formed of sheet metal.

The upper hinge section comprises "a plate- M provided with vertically 'alig-nedopenings F5 to receive screws f6 'for fastening; it to the mullion of the upper panel section. The "extreme side edges-ofthe plate near-its top arebentrearwardly forming wings I l which engage the side edges "of the 'mullion. The lower'en'd of the plate is slit at both sides of its center portion and bent outwardly at right angles to the plane of the body of the plate to form'a hor'izontallimb 1-8 which terminates at itsouter free end in a'spl'itcylindrical tube, curved roll or -knuckle 1'9; The plate is cut-away at its end at each side as indicated at 20 to form two narrow stripsZl which-are bent rearwardly -or oppositely to the horizontal vlimb 1'8 and positioned "on the same horizontal *plane as the limb. The strips 21 engage "the lower hori- 'zontal surface of the rail and are bent at right angles at their free ends to form pointed .lugs '2-2' for penetrating the "rail. The cut-'awayport'ionof the ,plate also provides two 'narrow' strips 28 at the extreme side edges of 'theplate. Each strip is ben'tat right 'angles forwardly o'fthe plate to form a horizontal portion 24 and is bent again at right "angles to the horizontal "portion "to form a verticaljportion 25 parallel to 'the body (if the plate and providing a space or groove 2 6 between the body of the plate and the vertical portion 25.

The lower hinge section consists of a plate 21 of substantially the same shape as the plate I of the upper hinge section, and is formed with similar vertically aligned openings I5 for the screws l 6 and side Wings H at its lower end. The upper end of the lower plate 21 is slitted adjacent each side edge and the central portion thereof bent forwardly or outwardly at right angles to the plane of the body of the plate to form a horizontal limb 28 which terminates at its outer free end in a s lit cylindrical tube, curved roll or knuckle 29, said knuckle being substantially twice the width of the knuckle [9 on the plate l4 and having an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the roll 19. The slits also a vertical lug or prong 32 which is pointed to penetrate the rail. At the juncture between the horizontal limb 28 and the curved knuckle 29 the body of the plate is stamped and bulged out to form an out-struck rib 33 which-rib and the body of the plate provide a narrow groove on seat 34.

For reinforcing the panel sections A and keeping them from warping and becoming deformed, an elongated bar 35, preferably of metal, is positioned along each longitudinal rail of each panel section. Each bar is formed with a central elongated rib 36for strengtheningit. The bar on the upper panel section has its lower edge seated in the groove 26 and its upper edge clamped between the vhead of one of the bolts 16 and the plate l4. The bar on the lower panel section has its upper edge seated in the groove or slot 34 between the platezl and the rib 33 and its lower edge clamped between the head of one of the screws l6 and the plate 21. A In assembling the parts, the hinge plates are first fastened to the rails and mullions by the fastening lugs .and screws. The free edge of the knuckle I9 on the upper hinge section is inserted into the knuckle 29 on the lower hinge section and the upper section is then swung in an are into vertical alignment with the lower section whereby the two knuckles become nested .as shown in Fig. 2, with the knuckle on the lower section overlapping the knuckle on the upper section. The reinforcing bars are then positioned on the hinge plates with their edges placed in their respective. seats and the screws are then tightened whereby, the plates become clamped in position. By reason of this construction and arrangement of parts, any unskilled person may easily mount and assemble the parts at the site of the job. 1

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have designed a hinge construction that is simple in construction and economical to manufacture. Furthermore, any unskilled person can easily mount and assemble the parts at the place where the door is to be installed.

Changes in details might be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention and I desire therefore to be limited only by the state of the prior art andthe appended claims.

1. The combination of two panels, each having an edge adjacent to anedge of the other, a reenforcing bar to extend along one side of each panel adjacent said edge thereof, and a hinge for connecting said panels comprising two plates having cooperating tubular portions forming hinge knuckles for pivotally connecting said plates, one of said plates having a projection at its edge to be underlaid by one edge of one of said reenforcing bars and said tubular portion of the other plate being formed to overlie one edge of the other reenforcing bar, said plates having holes in s'pacedrelat'ion to said projection and said tubular portion respectively, and headed screws passing through said holes into the respective said plates with their heads overlying the other edges of the-respective reenforcing bars whereby to fasten both said hinge plates and said reenforcing bars to said panels.

2. A hinge for connecting adjacent panel sections of an overhead door, comprising a pair of plates having telescopically associated split tubular portions hingedly connecting said plates together, the hinged edge of each plate at opposite ends of said split tubular portion having integral arms perpendicular to the plane of the plate and each provided with an inturned pointed prong whereby each plate may be arranged in abutting relation to one side of one panel section with" its arms overlying 3- the adjacent edge of said panel section and with its prongs penetrating said panel section, one said plate having a projection at its hinged edge to be underlaid by the edge of a reenforcing bar and said split tubular portion of the other plate being formed to overlie one edge of a second reenforcing bar, said plates having holes in spaced relation to said projection and to said split tubular portion, respectively, to receive headed screws for fastening said plates to the respective panel sections with heads of saidscrews overlying the other edges of the corresponding said reenforcing bars whereby to fasten said reenforcingbars in position.

' HENRY B. CLARK.

REFERENCES orrEn srrA'rEs PATENTS Number Name Date 189,866 Long Apr. 24, 1877 472,825 Rouse Apr. 12, 1892 880,757 Rugg Mar. 3, 1908 1,888,162 Eklund Nov. 15, 1932 1,931,166 McCloud Oct. 17, 1933 1,989,511 Ginder Jan. 29, 1935 2,090,146 'Pixley Aug. 17, 1937 2,134,397 Clark Oct. 25, 1938 2,262,451 Clark' Nov. 11, 1941 2,285,011 Buehler June 2, 1942 2,354,976 Robinson Aug. 1, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,916 7 Great Britain Mar. 17, 1908 

